The Air Force, DoD, NASA, and commercial spacecraft manufacturers all have a growing interest in replacing small chemical thrusters, reaction wheels, and magnetic torque rods with more advanced, lighter weight, lower power, more controllable micro-propulsion alternatives. In addition to this need, propulsion systems having mass and power scalability over a wide range that achieve large changes in satellite velocity are highly desirable, thus opening up a wide range of orbital maneuvering applications for micro-, nano-, pico-, and femto-satellites, and the control of flexible structures. Furthermore, ultra-compact packaging and extremely low mass of the propulsion system, coupled with dense, easily-handled solid or liquid propellants, are highly desirable to achieve high thrust impulse and optimal thruster placement on the spacecraft, to maximize control without adversely impacting fields-of-view, and to minimize the exposure of sensors to exhaust plume impingement.